Hee! Speaking of little brothers, my first turntable was a used Garrard 40B, with Shure M55E of course. But it did have the fancy walnut base for some reason.
So, does yours skip when it gets to the lead-out groove, like every old Garrard learns to do? If so, just put a drop or 2 of 3-in-1 in the bearing of the little pawl that rides around on the changer drive gear under the platter, and wiggle it back & forth a few times. (But you probably already knew that one. 🙂)
Temperature here tonight is down to -10 F. Earlier I couldn't take the draft in the living room anymore, so drove to the WalMart out at the edge of town at around 11 PM to buy some plastic sheeting for sealing the big front window.
Got out my car in the huge, nearly empty parking lot, and felt the stinging cold on my face immediately. Then, off in the distance, I noticed a guy in a (non-motorized) wheelchair, going like hell across the lot.
I figured he'd stop at his car, get in and drive off. But there weren't many cars out there, and as I stood there and watched, he just zoomed past every one of them and kept going, way out into the far corner of the pavement and into the cold darkness.
Got out my car in the huge, nearly empty parking lot, and felt the stinging cold on my face immediately. Then, off in the distance, I noticed a guy in a (non-motorized) wheelchair, going like hell across the lot.
I figured he'd stop at his car, get in and drive off. But there weren't many cars out there, and as I stood there and watched, he just zoomed past every one of them and kept going, way out into the far corner of the pavement and into the cold darkness.
Yikes that's cold! The only time I've experienced that cold was in a walk in blast freezer!
Tony.
Tony.
Tonight it's down to -19! Went out earlier to try and start my poor old car that's parked on the street, but it said, "Nope. Not tonight, pal." I'll try it again tomorrow, but the weather is supposed to stay like this for several more days.
I propably have to buy a bunch of LF444, but I cannot decide. The TL074 is half price and can anyoone explain why I have a gang of KF347 in my collections. Maybe I don't have to order anything at all.
However, gotta buy a packet of yeast for some breadbaking today.
Longing for some Winter-feeling. It has been raining through almost all Holidays.
However, gotta buy a packet of yeast for some breadbaking today.
Longing for some Winter-feeling. It has been raining through almost all Holidays.
Did the car starter motor turn and it failed to start due to frozen fuel lines or was it a battery problem and the starter motor didn't turn?
Pretty sure it's the battery, so that'll probably be the answer to today's 'What did you buy.' Funny, it was cranking just fine about 4 days (and 70 degrees!) ago.
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I ran the service department in an Olson's Electronics in 1971 and 1972. We sold Garrard, so I got to fix them......a drop of lighter fluid was what I used. The original lube would dry up into a sticky paste. The fluid would restore it.
Yesterday morning my car gave me the finger. This morning it begrudgingly started. The difference, yesterday it was -8F, today +7F. Reason, 5 year old Walmart battery.
Motor turned too slowly for the brain box to turn on the spark. Batteries loose capacity quickly below 0 F. That same car refused to start 2 years ago at -12 F, but started an hour later once the sun shown on the blue and black paint for a while.
Last winter we had only one day below zero, the car started fine. After several days around zero, yesterday morning it was -8. Today it was warmer, the battery had a bit more juice, and the engine oil wasn't as thick.
I don't see why you cannot put a hair dryer on your car battery on a long extension lead and warm it up. Would be a pain to do it all the time.
A heating pad that plugs into a 110v socket that sticks out underneath your bonnet would be more semi-permanent.
I wouldn't stay too long at a destination though otherwise the battery will freeze again.
A more permanent solution would be to wrap the battery in aspen aerogel (or cryogel) insulation to prevent it from freezing in the first place. Its not that expensive. A simple square/rectangle of it sandwiched underneath the battery will prevent heat from escaping into the metal beneath. 4x more pieces cut to shape surrounding the battery will also improve things too. I'm 50% sure that you could also sandwich a small heating pad underneath the battery in between the aspen aerogel and the battery to heat things up quickly, powered by the battery itself. With a momentary non-latching switch in the cabin of the car to turn it on and off. (Just hold it on for 5 minutes or so).
A small amount of energy expended to heat the battery up will then result in the battery being able to work effectively and produce sufficient amps to start the car fast enough.
A heating pad that plugs into a 110v socket that sticks out underneath your bonnet would be more semi-permanent.
I wouldn't stay too long at a destination though otherwise the battery will freeze again.
A more permanent solution would be to wrap the battery in aspen aerogel (or cryogel) insulation to prevent it from freezing in the first place. Its not that expensive. A simple square/rectangle of it sandwiched underneath the battery will prevent heat from escaping into the metal beneath. 4x more pieces cut to shape surrounding the battery will also improve things too. I'm 50% sure that you could also sandwich a small heating pad underneath the battery in between the aspen aerogel and the battery to heat things up quickly, powered by the battery itself. With a momentary non-latching switch in the cabin of the car to turn it on and off. (Just hold it on for 5 minutes or so).
A small amount of energy expended to heat the battery up will then result in the battery being able to work effectively and produce sufficient amps to start the car fast enough.
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One xmas when i was visiting my parents, i borrowed their car to drive up to Edmonton to visit a friend. For the few days i was there it was -40 highs, colder at night. I had to take the battery out and bring it into the house if i wanted to start the car in the morning. It is a bitch putting a battery back in the car at -40.
dave
Almost every car sold in places were it regularily gets cold has a block heater that you pug in every time you park the car. And i see battery warmers can be had too.
dave
Back in 1978 I visited people in Rochester Minnesota. The high temperature for the 2 week period was 1F, low -27F. All I kept hearing is "remember to plug the car in." There was a cord hanging from the grill and just about everywhere you went had power sockets, even K-mart.
Semis and most other diesels of the day were left running, even overnight. Diesel fuel turns to jelly if not thinned with kerosene, or kept warm.
There was a heater in the radiator, oil pan, transmission pan, and under the battery. The car was an older Thunderbird.
We don't do that here because it doesn't get below -10F often, or stay there long......this week has been an exception.
A fully charged battery will not freeze unless it gets really cold. A COMPLETELY DISCHARGED battery will freeze at or near 32F / 0C because the electrolyte becomes water (with some impurities that lower it's freezing point). The efficiency of most battery chemistries diminishes with temperature. A typical car battery loses about half its capacity when well below 0C.
Insulation becomes ineffective if the soak time is long enough. My car sat in temperatures well below freezing for 4 days because I was out of town. Putting the battery in an insulated cooler wouldn't have kept it warm for that long. A little heater under the battery with a bit of insulation probably would have let it start.
It's been in the 10 to 15 degree F (-10 to -12 C) range all day and it starts fine now. -2F to -5F (-19 to -21C) is expected Friday.
Semis and most other diesels of the day were left running, even overnight. Diesel fuel turns to jelly if not thinned with kerosene, or kept warm.
There was a heater in the radiator, oil pan, transmission pan, and under the battery. The car was an older Thunderbird.
We don't do that here because it doesn't get below -10F often, or stay there long......this week has been an exception.
A fully charged battery will not freeze unless it gets really cold. A COMPLETELY DISCHARGED battery will freeze at or near 32F / 0C because the electrolyte becomes water (with some impurities that lower it's freezing point). The efficiency of most battery chemistries diminishes with temperature. A typical car battery loses about half its capacity when well below 0C.
Insulation becomes ineffective if the soak time is long enough. My car sat in temperatures well below freezing for 4 days because I was out of town. Putting the battery in an insulated cooler wouldn't have kept it warm for that long. A little heater under the battery with a bit of insulation probably would have let it start.
It's been in the 10 to 15 degree F (-10 to -12 C) range all day and it starts fine now. -2F to -5F (-19 to -21C) is expected Friday.
Would the aerogel being non-hydroscopic help things at all? Would wrapping the battery in a plastic bag and tying it off at the top first help at all?
Diehard Gold car battery, 750 CCA.
The previous battery (Nissan OEM) lasted almost 10 years, so can't complain about that. The new one makes my 16 year-old car start like a happy little puppy, even though it's still colder than a penguin's pecker out there. Plus, I'm hearing more 'space' between the NPR commentators on the radio. This change was immediate, and not subtle.
😉
The previous battery (Nissan OEM) lasted almost 10 years, so can't complain about that. The new one makes my 16 year-old car start like a happy little puppy, even though it's still colder than a penguin's pecker out there. Plus, I'm hearing more 'space' between the NPR commentators on the radio. This change was immediate, and not subtle.
😉
Agreed. Some of us procrastinators put things off until the last minute. I'm only going to the gym early in the morning. If the car won't start.....then I get to go back to sleep, not a big deal. Even on the -12 day, it started after the sun had warmed things up a bit.
The car didn't start Jan 1 when it was -8F, but barely managed to start on the second try today at -6F. It was driven yesterday, and had been sleeping for 4 days on Jan 1. Another "trick" which seems to work in my case is to crank the engine for 3 or 4 revolutions, wait a minute or two, then hold the key in the start position until the engine starts, or it begins to slow down Indicating that it isn't going to start.
Any thermal "insulator" is really a thermal resistor. It slows the escaping of heat energy, but eventually all the heat will escape and everything under the hood will reach the same temperature as the surroundings unless some external heat is applied. A thermal insulator will help trap some heat in the battery if the ambient temp drops fast, but eventually it will reach ambient temperature.
All lead acid batteries release hydrogen and oxygen in normal operation. I'm not so sure trapping explosive gasses in a bag is a good idea.
My first car was a 1949 Plymouth with a 6 volt electrical system. I had converted it to 12 volts so that I could put a good stereo in it. I used a modern alternator and voltage regulator (OK 1968 vintage, but it was 1971).
I went to Sears and got a Die Hard.......within 2 years it Died....Hard. It worked fine one day, 0 volts the next morning. They replaced it. 2 years later the replacement died. The Sears guy wouldn't replace it blaming my electrical system, even though it passed the tests on their tester. I got a cheapie battery from the local auto parts store and it lasted for 6 or 8 years, so I haven't bought a Die Hard since.
